Gareth Bale probably feels as though he can run forever these days but Andre Villas-Boas must somehow guard against the same over-exertion that cost Tottenham so dearly last season.

Spurs are approaching the anniversary of the tipping point of last term. A dire 0-0 draw against Stevenage in the FA Cup began a run of just three wins from 13 matches that helped Arsenal secure a third-place finish which would have provided insulation from Chelsea’s Champions League heroics.

Bale and Luka Modric exhibited signs of fatigue as the weight of expectation and volume of matches began to take its toll on their creative shoulders.

With Modric departed for Real Madrid, Bale has assumed greater importance. He has drawn comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo which are justified in terms of free-kick technique and playing style but not yet as an overall player because of the Portuguese’s proven longevity and consistency of performance.

Yet Spurs needed Bale once again to make the difference, this time against a Lyon side whose overall play suggests they represent a formidable challenge at Stade Gerland next week.

An average Spurs performance was punctuated by two moments of wondrous dead-ball artistry, both in injury time when it appeared the half would end in frustration.

Bale’s first was a dipping effort from 40 yards that goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre contributed to only be shifting his weight on the wrong foot at the wrong time.

Lyon’s riposte was equally outlandish — Samuel Umtiti defied a narrow angle to arrow a shot beyond a motionless Brad Friedel. Put Hugo Lloris in goal with him and they wouldn’t have saved it. But Bale was not to be denied, smashing another marvellous effort past Vercoutre and celebrating with his trademark heart shape that made every Tottenham fan’s Valentine’s Day.

The 23-year-old has scored Spurs’ last six goals — Clint Dempsey is the only other player to find the target for the club since New Year’s Day — and is arguably in the form of his life.

Resting him now might be tantamount to lunacy but Bale has started 29 of the club’s 37 matches this season — not to mention six appearances for Wales — and Spurs must not make the same mistake Harry Redknapp did in exhausting his star man.

Villas-Boas believes that time has not yet come. “Even with the Europa League, we have allowed ourselves enough time to rest,” said the Tottenham manager.

“January and February for us are small in terms of fixtures — they are not compact. Obviously there is this last international break in March and we are aware that, as the season goes on, the players get more tired but we should still have enough time to recover. Maybe April becomes a bit tighter if we continue our progress in the Europa League but at the moment he is absolutely fine.”

By April it may be too late. Last season, with Bale tiring, Spurs won only two games that month.

The Catch-22 situation is that Bale is so clearly the team’s best performer that they cannot do without him at present. Villas-Boas’s insistence on taking the Europa League seriously alongside their Premier League top-four bid may have to change if their domestic hopes are not to be shattered again.

Spurs now have a full week off before Thursday’s return leg and so it seems inevitable Bale will make the trip to France, particularly with the tie in the balance.

“Their goal is one that can represent a lot to them,” said Villas-Boas. “We are a team that normally score away from home so we hope to cancel out there advantage — we will set out the same way to try to attack.”

A potential last-16 first leg would come four days after Arsenal’s visit to White Hart Lane on March 3, with the return leg three days before hosting Fulham.

At the business end of the season, managing players’ energy levels becomes especially important and Bale needs something left in the tank. He could do with some support from the team’s other attacking players, too. Aaron Lennon and Dempsey were subdued, while Emmanuel Adebayor looked uninterested all evening.

More is required from the Togo international — perhaps himself feeling the debilitating effects of the Africa Cup of Nations — especially with Jermain Defoe injured.

Tottenham have a tough run-in. Games against the Gunners, Liverpool, Swansea, Everton and Manchester City will require sharp focus and better application than they managed last season.

Bale is in the form to ensure they succeed almost single-handedly at present. The question is, how long can it last?